Is This the End of the Mac Malware Safe-Haven?

Yet another OS X Trojan has been spotted stalking the wilds of the internet. It targets Java again, but this time comes in via good old Microsoft Office. Is the presumed natural immunity to malware Macs have enjoyed for decades coming to an end?

The new Trojan is apparently just a month old, but has only now become active according to Kaspersky, who’s on the case. It’s got a catchy name, Backdoor.OSX.SabPub.a, and could be targeting Tibetan activists again, but we’re getting caught in the crossfire.

Now I’m not saying everyone should panic and that OS X is now going to be inundated with malware just like Windows unfortunately is, but it might be worth getting some protection. You could argue that it's nothing to do with Apple as both Java and Office are third-party programs, but it's still Mac users that suffer.

It was almost inevitable though. With the meteoric rise of the Mac as a popular platform, OS X makes a juicy target for virus writers. After all, where there’s a will there’s a way and with most Mac users not even running basic anti-virus they’re ripe for the picking. That Mac App Store with Gatekeeper is looking better and better. [Kaspersky via The Register]